Things Aren't Always As They Seem
by mdelpin
Summary: A hopeful kiss in the night led to the disappearance of the man he loved. Two years later he still doesn't have a clue what happened, or why he was left behind. But Gray holds on to the hope that one day he'll have his answers. Natsu, where the hell are you? Gratsu Bingo 2019 Entry.
1. Chapter 1

Gratsu Bingo 2019

Prompt: Obsession

Gray looked around the dimly lit room with disinterest. Women were walking around in tight leather miniskirts, and bikini tops, small aprons tied around their waists with Blue Pegasus embroidered on them in blue thread identifying them as waitresses. They had a smile for everyone, and the fakeness of it all irritated Gray's every last nerve.

Not to be outdone, the male waitstaff walked around in the typical Chippendale's uniform, tight pants showing off their every asset, a bow tie the only decoration on their torso. Gray's eyes lingered a bit longer on these as their expressions at least differed one from the other. Some were trying very hard to look appealing, while others seemed increasingly bored with the attention they were receiving from the patrons.

Gray could relate. Hell at this point the only thing that differentiated him from them was the sash reading Groom that was draped diagonally across his chest. It should have read Groomsman, but it had ripped at some point when he had unconsciously stripped, and someone had fixed it in a way that hid the rest of the word. He would have removed the offending fabric, but Lyon had demanded he keep the damn thing on, and tonight was supposed to be all about him, so Gray had relented without putting up much of a fuss. At least he was in the one place in Magnolia that wouldn't give him shit about walking around half-naked.

If it had been up to him, he would have left hours ago instead of sitting next to Loke, who was quite busy with the girl that was gyrating oh so teasingly on his cock, her expert movements letting his friend know what could be his for the right price. She'd already mentioned the private rooms a few times. Gray almost felt sorry for her, Loke did not pay for what he could readily get for free.

Gray looked away, uncomfortable by the display. He could sit there, order a drink and try to tune them out, but he really didn't want to watch was coming next so he made his way to the bar wondering how much longer he'd be forced to stay in this club.

He sat on one of the stools as soon as one opened up and was surprised to see someone he knew behind the bar.

"Mira?" His eyes widened in surprise as he took in the sight of his old classmate dressed in a very lowcut dress.

"Gray!" Mira squealed enthusiastically leaning over the bar to wrap him up in a friendly embrace, "You're here for Lyon's thing, right? I was hoping I'd get to see you. How've you been?"

Gray snorted as his answer, quickly taking a drink from the beer Mira had set in front of him before he could even ask.

"Oh, God, I'm so sorry!" Mira hung her head low, letting her bangs cover her eyes, "I didn't think about the fact that you used to be with her, this must be so hard for you."

Gray began to laugh, causing Mira to peer at him confusedly. "Trust me, it's totally fine."

He changed the subject, not wanting to delve into the topic. All that ever did was remind him of the real reason for his misery. "Does Elfman know you work here?"

"Yeah, of course. He does too," Mira looked out on the floor trying to find her large brother among the other male staff. "He's around here somewhere. He was planning on doing his dancing debut tonight but will all of you here, I rather think he won't."

"Elfman's a stripper?!" Gray chuckled into his drink, and it felt good. It was a real laugh, not the fake shit he'd been dishing out lately.

Mira laughed along with him, "Well, he's been working on it. They get paid more, plus tips. College is really expensive, you know?"

Gray could only nod at that, he'd found that out too, although he'd never considered stripping. He wondered how much it paid.

_Stupid stripper_

Gray shook his head, trying to get that well-loved voice out of his head, but it didn't help. All the emotions he'd been keeping locked inside came crashing down on him from just that one innocent insult. One that he'd heard from those lips more times than he could count.

"Well, I've got to get back to work, I'll check on you again in a little bit." Mira gave him a quick peck on the cheek before moving away.

"Wait! I never paid for my beer," Gray called after her, knowing Mira could be a bit scatterbrained sometimes.

"It's on the house," Mira waved at him cheerfully. She'd already moved on to another customer, and Gray noticed how her shoulders tensed uncomfortably. Gray made sure to leave a nice tip for her. He couldn't imagine it would be much fun for her to work here.

Now that he had found Mira, Gray decided to stay at the bar. He made a cursory sweep of the room looking for his twin brother. He hoped Lyon was smart enough to not get into any trouble tonight, Juvia was forgiving, but she was also incredibly jealous. She'd wanted to have a Jack and Jill party but Yuka, Lyon's best friend, had refused, and so the two parties had remained separate.

He found him quickly enough, looking drunk and uncomfortable in a situation not that dissimilar to Loke with Yuka and Toby cheering him on. Gray whistled, glad not to be in his shoes anymore. Juvia had a way of knowing things like that.

It was still hard for him to believe he had finally caved and dated Juvia. He sighed, not that he'd had much choice. He'd had to do something to quiet the emptiness and longing that had never quite healed after Natsu had left.

Natsu.

There was so much of Gray wrapped up in that name. He could still remember summer days spent climbing trees, lazing on the beach and challenging each other in every possible idiotic way they could think of. They had known each other most of their lives, had been friends since the moment they met. Although to anyone who didn't know them well, they would appear anything but.

Natsu was sunshine, ice cream, wet dreams, and every other possible thing that brought him joy all wrapped up in one irritatingly loud package. He was the one who had unknowingly held his heart all through high school, and the one he let get away.

In his defense, he hadn't actually known the idiot was leaving. They'd even enrolled in the same university so as far as Gray knew life was going to remain the same as always. No. It was going to be better because two weeks before school let out for their last summer, Natsu had confessed to Gray that he was gay and that had been all he'd needed to push him into confessing his feelings.

Except he couldn't do it right away, Gray had waited so long he wanted to do something special. What a joke. He'd ended up getting drunk at their graduation party and kissing him. He put everything he had into that fucking kiss, there was no way Natsu could not have understood his meaning.

But Natsu had not responded, and when Gray had pulled away, there was only sadness in his best friend's eyes. And that was the last time he'd ever seen him.

No matter how many times he'd called, no matter how many pathetic messages he'd left begging for the prick to just please talk to him, silence was the only response he ever received.

No one knew what had happened to him, or even where he'd gone. His roommate Sting said he'd just disappeared overnight with no explanation, taking all his things with him and leaving one month's rent on the table to give him time to find another roommate. That had been two years ago, and Gray had never gotten over it.

Good things had come of it, Juvia finally wore him down, and they'd dated for a few months. It hadn't lasted long, even her fantasies weren't enough to make the reality of dating him bearable.

In a move that surprised everyone but him, Juvia had dumped him for his brother, and now they were getting married. Honestly, he wished them well. He'd been a dick to her, and she deserved better, and Lyon was definitely that. After the initial awkwardness, he found he really didn't care.

He tried dating, tried having casual sex, then he tried just being alone as much as possible, and found that was what he preferred. His already surly personality deteriorated to the point only a few people could stand being around him, and that was how he liked it.

Still, his thoughts would return to his best friend. Why had he looked so sad after he kissed him? Where did he go, and why did he have to leave so suddenly? How could he have ignored Gray's pain so blatantly after everything they'd meant to each other. Had their friendship all been in Gray's mind?

No matter how many times he thought about it, he could never come up with an answer that satisfied him, and it pissed him off. It had become an obsession. One that he couldn't seem to claw his way out of.

He still checked in with Sting from time to time, but he had no more clue than Gray did. Lyon had suggested he hire a private investigator. If only to put an end to his questions once and for all, but Gray wasn't ready to do that yet. Taking that step would force him to let go of too much of himself, and he wasn't sure he'd like what would remain.

"Gray?" Hands were shaking his shoulders, and he found himself peering into his brother's worried eyes.

He felt the fake smile curl on his lips, but before he could say anything, Lyon had waved Mira over.

"Hey, Lyon!" Mira must have been feeling generous because she also gave Lyon a hug. "Congratulations! What can I get for you?"

"Do you guys sell any t-shirts or something?" He pointed at Gray's naked torso, and she giggled.

"Haven't you tortured the poor guy enough? I doubt he'd want to walk around with a shirt from this place. Let me see if I can find something in Elfman's locker." She walked over to a fellow bartender who took over her area as she rushed into a back room, returning a few minutes later with a black shirt that looked to be too small for her burly brother but should fit Gray just fine.

"Here I grabbed one of his muscle shirts, he won't mind," Mira said kindly as Lyon thanked her.

He tossed the shirt at Gray, "Put this on, and let's get out of here before Yuka can get me into any more trouble."

Gray felt like he should be convincing his brother to stay at his bachelor party, but then again, he wanted to get the hell out of there. He took the dreaded sash off to put on the shirt, happy to see it wasn't a bad fit after all. He was about to toss the sash into the nearest trash receptacle when Lyon stopped him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"You can't be serious," Gray whined, "I've worn it all night, come on have a heart."

"Put it back on, the party isn't over," Lyon grinned somewhat drunkenly as he put the sash back on his brother, chuckling at his obvious discomfort, "This is my last night of freedom and I am not done yet. Let's go get something to eat."

Gray let Lyon lead him out of the club, stopping to breathe in the fresh air. He looked down at his watch and saw that it was still quite early, not even ten o'clock. "Alright, where do you want to eat? My treat."

"Steak, lots of steak! Ooh, is there one of those Brazilian steakhouses around?" Lyon asked hopefully, "Juvia wants me to become a vegetarian, says it will make me live longer."

Gray snorted at the idea, to him that was a fate worse than death.

"Uhm, dunno, lemme check," Gray grabbed his phone and opened a search window plugging in _Brazilian steakhouse near me_ into the text box. A few seconds later results popped up.

"You're in luck, it looks like there's one about a twenty-minute walk from here. Let's go," Gray began to walk, and Lyon followed although his steps were a bit wobbly. "Would you rather take an Uber?"

"No, I want to build up an appetite so I can eat more meat, "Lyon replied, his voice sounding almost cheerful, something Gray was definitely not used to.

Gray snickered and kept walking, keeping a loose grip on his brother's arm.

"You were thinking about him again, weren't you?" Lyon scolded, "You promised me, no Natsu tonight."

"I'm sorry," Gray hung his head, feeling sorry he'd disappointed his brother, "I tried."

"I know," Lyon's voice was surprisingly gentle, something Gray was not expecting. Usually, when the topic came up, Lyon became angry.

"Where do you think he went?" It was a question Gray asked himself daily.

"If it were anyone else, I'd say he was hiding from a gambling debt or something," Lyon shrugged, "I just can't think of anything that would make him leave."

"Or to treat you like that," this last bit was muttered under his breath but Gray still heard it.

They were getting a lot of strange looks from passersby, and even some cheers and high fives and Gray finally realized that both their sashes read Groom. His mood darkened further, and he tore the sash off, ignoring Lyon's complaints as he tossed it into the nearest trash bin and sped up his steps towards the restaurant.

Groom, he scoffed. As if he'd ever be such a thing. There was only one person he wanted, and clearly, that wasn't going to be happening.

They lucked into a last-minute cancellation and were seated right away, both drinking heavily as they picked different items from the waiters that stopped at their table every few minutes. Lyon ate his fill of meat until he was sated, all while looking at his brother worriedly.

"Do you think I'm making a mistake?" Lyon asked suddenly, surprising Gray out of his thoughts.

"Marrying Juvia?" When Lyon nodded, Gray thought about it for a minute. "Nah man, she makes you happy. How could that be wrong?"

"It wasn't that long ago that you were all she wanted, she could change her mind again."

The doubt in Lyon's face gave Gray pause, made his heart feel tight in his chest. He'd thought Lyon was long over that.

"I'm pretty sure I scared Juvia out of that idea," Gray's laugh sounded brittle, and he just wanted to go home, but he also wanted to be a good brother. "This might be the one time where you are the better man," Gray deadpanned before breaking into an amused smile, "And I will forever deny saying that."

"I wish," Lyon began before Gray interrupted him.

"Don't."

"Alright," Lyon complied, although he looked sad again and Gray could have kicked himself. "I love you." Lyon's eyes welled up, and Gray took that as their cue to go home. He asked for the bill.

"I know, but save your tears for the wedding," he advised, as he squeezed his brother's shoulder, "I'll be fine."

They called an Uber, and when it finally arrived, Lyon drunkenly refused to get in unless Gray wore his groom sash. He finally did just so they could get home, knowing they would have to get up early for the wedding preparations. Lyon fell asleep in the car, and Gray could only snort. His brother had always been a lightweight, more interested in his studies than partying.

Gray studied his brother's sleeping face, smiling fondly at how the anxiety Lyon normally exuded just melted away when he was resting. Growing up, he hadn't really enjoyed being a twin, although it had helped that they weren't identical. But the last few years they had gotten closer.

When Gray tried to push everyone away in his grief and anger, Lyon had steadfastly ignored him, moving into his apartment and refusing to let him hide away. But after tomorrow everything would be different, and Gray was going to miss him.

He stared out the window for the remainder of the drive.

_Natsu, where the hell are you?_

A/N: For those of you following along with my life, things haven't changed much. I haven't felt much like writing lately but I got this random idea and figured I'd try writing it out.


	2. Chapter 2

Gratsu Bingo 2019

Prompt: Dare

Chapter 2

Two men walked along a busy street, looking at the numbers on the buildings as they bickered. One had longish pink hair, his skin sun-kissed. Everything about him radiated nervous energy while his companion, a slightly taller man with dark raven hair and a pale complexion only looked at his surroundings with disinterest.

"You don't even know where you're going, do you?" An exasperated grunt was heard from the taller male. "What do you plan to do, yell out his name and hope he answers? Sounds like something from a bad movie."

"It's around here somewhere, Sting wrote the address down for me," Natsu Dragneel huffed, not wanting to admit that he wasn't even sure they were on the correct street. The numbers were all wrong.

"What makes you think he even wants to see you again? From what you said, you were kind of a douchebag to him."

"Shut up, Zeref! I wouldn't have had to be if it weren't for you," Natsu snapped, his frustration evident in the sharpness with which he replied.

"Me?! What on Earth did I have to do with it?"

"Just shut up."

They continued to make their way slowly up the street when Zeref tore the piece of paper from Natsu's hand. "Let me see that."

Natsu huffed, "What would you know? You're not even from around here."

Zeref swallowed his retort and studied the address that Natsu's friend had scribbled on the piece of paper, peering at the numbers on the buildings nearest to them. With a long-suffering sigh, he pointed out the problem. "We're on the wrong side of the street."

Natsu only gave him an embarrassed grin before hurrying to cross the street with Zeref following close behind. He looked at the number on the building and announced, "It should be on the next block."

Zeref had already begun to move towards the address when he noticed Natsu hadn't budged.

"What's the matter now? We've come all this way."

Natsu's eyes were unsure, fear lurking in their shining depths. "What if he's still angry? What if he's moved on?"

Zeref sighed, not this again. He tried to be patient, matters of the heart were complicated and frankly more terrifying than being chased down by a band of bloodthirsty warriors intent on their destruction, which they had been doing for quite a while now.

"There's only one way to really know the answer, and that is to talk to him. If you mean as much to him as he does to you, he'll listen," Zeref wanted to hug Natsu desperately, but he held himself back, still not sure if he had earned such a gesture.

"You're right," Natsu breathed deeply, and in a jittery voice, he added, "I knew it was a possibility when I decided to go on this journey. If only he'd waited a bit longer before acting on it."

Natsu frowned at himself. It wasn't Gray's fault for telling Natsu how he felt, it was Natsu's for not telling him what he was planning. He sighed, when did everything get so damn complicated?

"Let's go," Natsu tried to find some confidence within himself to quiet down the panic he was starting to feel. Not much longer now. He surprised himself by grabbing Zeref's hand and holding on to it, like a child looking to his parent for strength, was even more surprised when Zeref allowed it. And as they moved closer towards the address Sting had jotted down, Natsu was glad Zeref was with him, even if he wasn't the touchy-feely type.

O-o

The Uber finally arrived at their destination, and after having paid for the ride, Gray had the unenviable task of somehow getting his passed out brother out of the car and into their apartment. He managed to pull him out, and to save some of his dignity maneuvered him onto his back, the offending sash all but forgotten.

Gray turned around, hoping for once the unreliable elevator in their building was working, he wasn't really looking forward to lugging his brother up four flights of stairs. It was at that moment when he saw him. Or at least he thought he did.

A sakura haired man was walking towards him, his hand held loosely by a slightly taller man with features not that dissimilar to Gray's own. Gray blinked wanting to make sure he wasn't seeing things, it wouldn't be the first time he'd imagined seeing Natsu, and he had been drinking.

When the vision in pink was still there, Gray felt a blind fury explode within him. How dare he? How dare he disappear for two years and return with a boyfriend that for all intent and purposes looked like his replacement? Was he not good enough?

He could tell the exact moment Natsu saw him, could see the panic in his best friend's eyes and the squeeze to his hand the other man gave him before letting go and giving him a soft nudge in Gray's direction, an action that both enraged and confused Gray but he wasn't about to dwell on that now.

He forgot he was holding Lyon as he darted forward, and feeling annoyed by the weight on his back that was keeping him from moving swiftly, he dropped it, instantly hearing a thud followed by a surprised yelp.

"What the hell?" Lyon muttered in confusion as he woke mid-flight to landing on his ass on the sidewalk in front of their building.

"Damn it, Gray, the last thing I need is a bruise on my ass!" He protested loudly, already rubbing the sore spot as he stood up unsteadily. He watched in disbelief as his brother quite literally stomped towards another man. A man who looked to have a rather distinctive shade of pink hair.

Lyon closed his eyes for a moment, willing the alcohol to stop showing him impossible things, but when he opened them again the man was still there, and his brother was still headed towards him with what looked to be murderous intent. He also noticed the man standing next to who could only be Natsu tensing up, his eyes measuring Gray up, his hands already clenched into fists.

"Oh, shit! Gray, just hold on a minute," Lyon stumbled along as best he could trying to reach his brother before he did something he would regret. "Will you just listen to me?" he continued to shout as it became increasingly clear he wasn't going to get there in time.

Natsu could only stand there like a deer in headlights, he'd never seen Gray so angry. And even though he'd spent most of his childhood fighting with Gray, and had upped his training the last two years while evading Zeref's enemies he knew he deserved whatever Gray dished out. He tried to relax his body as he waited for the impact.

"One free hit is all he gets," Zeref avowed next to him, his voice remaining calm but Natsu was quick to recognize the menace implied as to what would happen after that hit. He knew he had to do something fast. If there was one thing he'd learned about Zeref in their time together, it was that he could be quite violent and scary when he wished to be.

Natsu knelt, touching his head to the sidewalk and whispered, "I'm sorry!"

This action was enough to stop Gray in his tracks, leaving him with a confused expression that was enough to make Zeref relax slightly.

"Get up!" Gray growled, and Natsu complied, albeit slowly, taking in the changes that the last two years had wrought on Gray. His gaze got as high as Gray's chest before his expression changed from one of remorse to one of profound sadness.

"When's the wedding?" Natsu asked politely, trying to hide how everything inside of him was shattering.

"Tomorrow," Gray responded, confused by the question, but it had been one he had been asked a lot that evening, and so he responded matter-of-factly, as he had every other time.

"I wish you congratulations, I guess we can talk after you get back," Natsu held on to the last threads of his self-control, not wanting Gray to see how much that information had affected him.

"Let's go Zeref," he turned around walking as quickly as he could, leaving all three men staring after him blankly.

"Why is he so upset about Lyon getting married?" Gray scratched his head, not understanding anything that was happening. He felt an eerie pressure on his back, and as he attempted to find its source, he was confronted by the heated glare of Natsu's companion.

His fingers moved to his shirt, already working on getting it off when they bumped into the sash, and things finally clicked. The fucking sash, God how he hated that thing.

For fuck's sake!

Gray ran after Natsu, reaching him before he could cross the street. He pulled him back, turning him around in the process. He was startled by the way Natsu seemed to be fighting off tears.

"You idiot! I'm not the one getting married. Lyon is, he just made me wear this to torture me," Gray cheered inwardly at the relief on Natsu's face, but then he remembered how Natsu had left without a word and even though he was thrilled to have him in front of him again he was still mad.

"But even if I were, it would be none of your damn business. Where do you even get off being upset about it? You ran away from me, remember?"

Natsu threw his arms around him, ignoring the stiff set of Gray's shoulders that were clearly screaming, Don't touch!

Once Natsu let go of him, Gray took the sash off and shredded it to pieced before throwing it away, hoping Lyon hadn't intended to keep it. He kind of doubted it, his brother was not exactly the sentimental type.

He took his own look at Natsu, his eyes hungry for the sight of him. It had been too long, two years of only being able to see him in old pictures and memories. Natsu looked leaner, having finally lost the boyishness of his features, and even though Gray lamented their loss, he had to admit Natsu looked even more attractive than he remembered.

"I'm so sorry for the way I left, but you have to believe me, it was the only way," Natsu's eyes pleaded with him in a way that was very familiar although this had more urgency than usual, and Gray was comforted to see that at least some things hadn't changed.

"That remains to be seen, who's the boyfriend?" Gray tried to keep the jealousy out of his voice, but it still hurt. Then again, it wasn't like he hadn't dated anyone in that time or like they'd promised each other anything.

Actually, he promised you less than nothing, his mind reminded him helpfully.

"Boyfriend?" Natsu had no idea what Gray was talking about, he'd never even looked at anyone that way since he'd left, his mind being full of Igneel and Gray. He thought about the way he'd been grasping Zeref's hand and guessed that could be confused for something more.

"Oh, you mean Zeref? He's my older brother," Natsu explained, knowing very well it would come as a shock. Hell, it had been a shock to him too! He'd gone in search of Igneel, only to discover a brother he never even knew he had.

"Brother? Are you sure?" Gray had known Natsu all his life, and he'd never heard of a brother before. Just what the hell had happened in their time apart? He couldn't help it, his curiosity was far outweighing his anger, and he knew it.

With a halfhearted nod to his quickly receding rage, he announced, "I'm still angry with you, but I want you to tell me everything. Come on, let's go inside, Lyon has to get up early tomorrow."

They walked back to the other two men who were engrossed in conversation, and Gray wished he'd been able to hear it. He was very interested in this Zeref, especially considering the glares he was getting from him.

Natsu managed to get Zeref's attention and quickly introduced him to Gray, "Zeref Dragneel, these are Gray and Lyon Fullbuster. Guys, this is my brother, Zeref."

He managed to grin a little, after all this time alone, it felt good to be able to say he had a brother.

"It's Vastia now," Lyon corrected absently.

"Huh?"

"Don't even get him started," Gray rolled his eyes at his brother, "He and Juvia are doing this thing where they're picking a last name they both like instead of having her take Fullbuster."

"Juvia? As in Juvia Lockser?" Natsu asked as if there were a horde of girls named Juvia who lived in Magnolia.

"The one and only," Gray shrugged, not giving the matter much importance, "If you ask me, he just wants to make sure she doesn't end up with my last name."

"After the way you treated her when you guys were together, maybe she wasn't comfortable with the idea," Lyon defended weakly, but the way his cheeks flared made Natsu think that perhaps Gray might be on to something. Juvia had obsessed over Gray all through high school, sometimes in overly creepy ways.

"You used to date her? I think I need to sit down."

"Don't even attempt to change the subject, you have a lot of explaining to do."

They entered the building, luck favoring them as for once the elevator roared to life when they pressed the Up button. Natsu and Gray remained silent, each preparing for what was to be an awkward conversation, while Lyon and Zeref exchanged meaningless pleasantries.

They entered the apartment, and Lyon set about making coffee for everyone. Although he should go to bed, he knew how volatile Natsu and Gray could be, and he wasn't sure Zeref could handle them. Besides, he was curious as well.

Lyon was glad to see Natsu back. When they hadn't heard anything from him in such a long time he'd feared the worst, well aware of Natsu's gullible nature.

He believed the two could hash out their differences with time. Lyon missed the way his brother used to be before everything had happened, and he hoped that Natsu's presence would cure him of the depression he'd been under.

"Alright, talk," Gray demanded, barely even giving Natsu a chance to sit down in their living room, which was currently cluttered with all sorts of items for the wedding.

"I got a strange letter right before graduation," Natsu began, looking down at his hands nervously.

"What kind of letter?"

"It said that if I wanted to see my father I needed to go to Alakitasia right away," Natsu explained.

"I should have known!" Gray exploded, "I should have known this would have something to do with Igneel. You promised us Natsu! You said you were done with these wild goose chases."

"See?" Natsu yelled in frustration, his voice sharp as he defended himself, "This is exactly why I didn't tell you anything then. I knew this was exactly how you were going to react."

"Because all it does is cause you pain," Gray snapped," You always come back empty-handed, and then you're miserable for months, and I'm the one stuck helping you get you over it."

"Well excuse me for not wanting to give up hope on finding the only person who ever cared for me!" Natsu retorted, feeling hurt by Gray's words," Sorry for inconveniencing you with my feelings."

"You know that's not what I meant, Natsu," Gray protested weakly, knowing he might have pushed too hard a bit too early. He really was out of practice, and in some ways, this was a new Natsu. He'd have to get to know him all over again.

"Not to mention, Alakitasia? It's not exactly the next town over," Gray sputtered in disbelief, "For chrissakes, you get lost taking the crosstown bus! How the hell were you expecting to get to Alakitasia? That's not even factoring in your motion-sickness! Who was the letter even from?"

"I don't know," Natsu had been dreading that question, but he'd promised himself that if he ever got this far, he would be truthful.

"You're telling me you went off to Alakitasia on the say-so of a letter that wasn't even signed?" Gray shouted, even though his head was throbbing from the stupidity that was spewing from Natsu's lips, "Are you out of your goddamned mind? They could've been trying to kidnap you!"

"I know, Gray," Natsu sighed, this was going to be harder than he'd thought, "Are you going to let me talk?"

"Are we sure they even like each other?" Zeref whispered to Lyon, confused by the amount of tension and anger in the room.

Lyon laughed easily, "They do, they've just never communicated well with words."

"Then how do they usually…," Zeref let the question linger in the air, not sure what he was asking.

"Fists usually, that's where you and I will come in. We'll need to stop them before it gets to that."

"This is friendship?" Zeref asked in disbelief.

"They're not easily defined, "Lyon's smile was full of affection for both men, "Perhaps we should arbitrate from the kitchen? I'd love to hear about Alakitasia, it was one of the places we considered for our honeymoon."

Zeref nodded in agreement, still perplexed by this man his brother was so deeply in love with. His temperament was all over the place, and a few times he'd looked like he genuinely wanted to hurt Natsu, only to have his face look like a kicked puppy when Natsu replied in kind. It was nothing like the love that he'd been used to, and he wondered if he'd done the right thing letting Natsu come back here.

A/N: Okay just ignore me completely, I have no idea how long anything is ever going to be. I've just come to accept it. It grew too long as I was writing and so I have decided there will be another chapter because I became too enamored of Zeref's backstory and Natsu hasn't even left Magnolia yet in his telling of events. This seemed a good stopping point.


	3. Chapter 3

Gratsu Bingo 2019

Prompt: Blood (as in Family)

Chapter 3

"Fine, fine, talk," Gray settled on the sofa, arms crossed over his chest as he waited not so patiently for Natsu to continue.

Natsu bit his cheek softly, he'd imagined this many times over, and so far it was actually going better than his worst-case scenario, but that really wasn't saying much, seeing as that one included things being set on fire.

"Look, I'm sorry for leaving the way I did, I know that was wrong," Natsu faltered, not knowing how to explain the desperation he'd felt at the time.

There had been something about receiving that letter when he did that had felt so final. So many things in his life were coming to an end, while others were so tantalizingly close. He knew after that summer he couldn't afford to take off anymore. One way or the other that would be his last attempt, there had been no other choice for him to make.

"I don't expect you to understand, but it's something I had to do, and it wasn't a wild goose chase this time. Maybe I didn't find my father, but I found a brother. Can't you please be happy for me?" Natsu pleaded with him, his eyes burning with an intensity that bore straight through what remained of Gray's anger and right into his very soul.

Gray rankled a bit at the unfairness of that statement. Of course he understood, he'd lived this drama out with Natsu since it's very beginning.

It was their house Natsu had gone to when Igneel had left on some random errand and never returned. Gray's shoulder had been the one he'd cried on, Lyon the one to remind Natsu he wasn't alone. He still had _them_.

Their mother had been the one to take care of him until an arrangement could be reached with Social Services that allowed Natsu to remain in Magnolia under her guardianship. He'd managed to get himself back into some semblance of normalcy, but in some ways, Natsu had never fully recovered.

Gray could never fault him for taking yet another chance in the hopes it would bring back what he craved most. Although at this point, Gray could only imagine Natsu was just looking for closure.

Igneel hadn't been a dead beat dad, he'd been the exact opposite. He'd doted on Natsu. If he'd been killed in an accident or a robbery, Gray was sure they would have found out by now. No, the only reason he could think of for him to disappear like that was if his presence somehow put Natsu in danger.

The real reason Gray was so upset was that Natsu had purposefully chosen to keep the letter from him. Sure, he would have fought with him over the wisdom of following instructions from an unknown source, but if Natsu had been determined, Gray would have gone with him.

Even though Natsu was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, Gray never wanted him to lose his cheerful countenance or his neverending optimism. He would have done anything to protect him from a world determined to beat him down.

The truth was, it was only when Natsu had disappeared that Gray had finally understood what his friend had been feeling all these years. Natsu may not be a blood relative, but he was just as much a part of Gray's family as Lyon and his mother.

He hoped someday he could convince him to be much more than that, but even if things didn't work out, the bond that united them was something Gray couldn't stand to see broken.

Not knowing where Natsu was, or even whether he was alive or dead, had done things to Gray. The anger had been a cover for the paralyzing fear that had taken hold of him when Natsu had disappeared. And now that he was here in front of him, Gray was just happy to have him back safely.

He could tell a lot had happened, and he knew it would probably take months for them to get through it all. He had a feeling there was something suspicious about this Zeref character, but he wasn't about to mess with it yet. Not when Zeref's existence made Natsu so happy. Gray would gladly accept whatever Natsu wanted to share with him and keep his eyes open for any sign of danger.

So he decided to take the high road. "I missed you," Gray admitted, his voice sounding husky from the overabundance of emotions he held.

Natsu felt as if all the tension had been let out of the room, and he was relieved. He could tell that Gray had forgiven him and everything was going to be okay.

"I missed you too," Natsu confessed, his eyes going everywhere, except where he wanted to look the most, stirred by the sight of Gray's bare chest. He could feel the flush rising to his cheeks and hear the amused chuckles coming from the kitchen, but he ignored them.

Gray, confused by Natsu's odd behavior, peered over at Lyon for help. Lyon rolled his eyes and pointed at his chest. Oh! He'd stripped again, if he did that tomorrow Juvia would skin him alive.

With a colossal smirk, Gray got up and stretched, his movements slow and deliberate. He held his hand out to an increasingly more flustered Natsu. "Come on you, let's get to bed, we have a wedding to go to tomorrow."

"Who said I'm going anywhere with you?" Natsu yelled, protesting as Gray half dragged him to his bedroom. "And put some damn clothes on, you pervert!"

"_I_ say so. You've got another thing coming if you think I'm letting you out of my sight anytime soon. You can tell me all about your adventure tomorrow."

The sound of their voices became somewhat muffled as both men entered Gray's bedroom, but Lyon and Zeref could still hear their conversation without too much effort.

"Let go of me, you bastard! I'm not some stuffed animal."

"Natsu, you scared the shit out of me for two years. Shut up and let me have this."

"Fiiiiiine."

"Gray?"

"Hmm?"

"At the party, I —."

"Tomorrow."

Their voices became silent, and Lyon and Zeref moved to the open doorway of Gray's room, not sure if that was a good sign. They were surprised to find the two already asleep in a tangled heap of limbs and soft snores.

"They're both insane," Zeref said quietly, but Lyon saw the small smile he was trying to hide. He couldn't say he disagreed with that statement, but he was reassured to see them trying to get back into their old patterns.

He should be going to bed too, it was _his_ wedding after all, but there was still something that bothered him about all this.

Lyon couldn't help but feel that something was off about Zeref. He couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was giving him that impression, but the more sober he became, the more things didn't add up.

Why would Igneel, a man who valued family above all else, hide Zeref's existence from Natsu? He was starting to think that Zeref wasn't Natsu's brother at all. But who was he then? It was obvious he cared about Natsu a great deal, and his interest didn't seem to be romantic.

He started to wonder more and more who this man was, and what exactly his real connection was to his friend. His earlier concern about Natsu's gullible nature returned full force.

While they had been in the kitchen, Zeref had mentioned Natsu had helped break him out of prison. He could have made Natsu believe they were related to gain his help. But then why stick around afterward? Why not just leave him behind as soon as he escaped? Did he feel indebted to him?

Lyon studied the man once more as he stood in Gray's doorway, watching Natsu and Gray sleep. His expression was hard for Lyon to read, but after seeming satisfied with what he saw, he opened the sliding door to their small balcony and walked out.

Lyon decided to follow him. He knew Gray would insist on Natsu and Zeref staying with him, especially with Sting now having a live-in boyfriend, and he didn't feel right leaving his brother in the company of this man, not until he knew whether he could trust him. He opened the sliding door and stared out with dismay to see the sun already beginning its ascent.

_Shit!_ His wedding was in a few hours. Juvia was going to kill him! He shook that thought away knowing he'd get through the long day somehow, at the moment Gray and Natsu's safety was more important.

To his surprise, Zeref didn't acknowledge his presence, too absorbed in the contents of a locket Lyon hadn't noticed before. He finally put it down and turned to face Lyon.

"You have questions, I take it?"

"You're not Natsu's brother, are you," Lyon stated it as a fact, convinced of its truth.

Zeref's smile was cold, but it wasn't threatening, and Lyon found himself relaxing a bit.

"No," Zeref agreed readily, "I'm not."

"Why?" Lyon puzzled, "Why would you tell him you are then?"

"Because who I truly am would be too difficult for him to understand, and it would possibly affect the way he lived his life, and I don't want that."

"That makes no sense," Lyon crossed his arms over his chest, determined to wait for an answer for as long as it took.

"A lot of things in life don't make sense, yet they are possible."

"Are you at least related to him?" Lyon asked, knowing how desperately Natsu wanted to find any shred of his family.

"Yes, that I can promise you," Zeref met Lyon's gaze and held it, his dark eyes looking impossibly sad. "Natsu is all I have left in this world."

They remained silent, looking out at the city, with Lyon not sure what to say when Zeref spoke again. "Tell me something. Your brother, is he a good man?"

"Yes," Lyon answered instantly, "He might not seem like it at first because of his personality, but Gray is incredibly loyal, and if he cares about someone, there is nothing he wouldn't do for them."

"And is Natsu one of those people?" Zeref shoved his hair back away from his face as he scrutinized Lyon.

Lyon snorted, thinking that much should be unmistakable by now, "Natsu has always been one of those people, even before Gray developed feelings for him."

Zeref nodded as if satisfied with those words, "Then he will be safe here."

He turned to open the sliding door, and Lyon found himself grabbing the man by the wrist before he could move away, gulping a bit at the way Zeref looked down at his hand. He could sense that Zeref meant to leave Natsu here and disappear.

"Surely you don't mean to go? Whatever the hell he is to you, you can't leave him now. He just found you! This is the happiest I've seen him in years. If you leave him now, it will destroy him. It will destroy _them_," Lyon pointed at Gray's bedroom where the two men slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of the battle Lyon was about to wage for them. "He will never stop looking for you, and Gray will have no choice but to follow him."

Zeref sighed, he'd wondered about that, but he'd hoped that Natsu would come to forget him now that he was back with his Gray. He should never have written that damn letter in the first place. It had been a moment of weakness, one he still couldn't find it in himself to regret.

"Let me show you something," Zeref grabbed the locket that always hung near his heart, the one comfort he'd been allowed in his time in prison. He pried it open with one finger, the clasp loosened from being worked so much over the years and showed it to Lyon.

Lyon's eyes widened in disbelief at what he was seeing, and he gasped. There was Zeref, the resemblance too uncanny to be anyone else, a beaming grin on his face as he draped his arm around a beautiful woman that for all intents and purposes looked like a female Natsu. The woman was holding a toddler in her arms, a cheerful-looking boy with untamed pink locks and an infectious grin. A boy who could only be Natsu Dragneel.

Lyon kept looking from the picture to Zeref, to Gray's bedroom, and back to the image. Zeref took the locket back and closed it, hiding it within his shirt.

"Let's go for a walk. If there's one thing I've learned it's that Natsu has excellent hearing. It saved us more times than I can count."

Lyon could only nod his agreement, following the older man back inside his apartment. Making sure he had his keys, he led them out of the building and into the rapidly approaching dawn.

Once they were outside, he immediately asked the question that was driving him mad. "Who are you?"

"I'm Natsu's father."

"But how? You don't look much older than us."

"Do you believe in curses, Lyon?"

"Huh?"

A/N: I think the next chapter should be the last one...


	4. Chapter 4

Gratsu Bingo 2019

Prompt: Age

Chapter 4

Gray's eyes remained closed as he listened intently, trying to figure out what had woken him. He was really thirsty, which wasn't all that surprising considering how much alcohol he'd had last night. He was about to get up when he heard the jingling of keys followed by the sound of the apartment door closing.

That was unexpected. Gray managed to get up without waking Natsu and hurried out to the living room, finding it empty. After checking around his small apartment, he quickly came to the conclusion that both Zeref and Lyon were gone. He didn't like that, not at all. Why would Lyon have left with Zeref? He wasn't the most trusting of people, and if Gray had doubts about Zeref, he was sure Lyon did too.

Gray scrambled back to his room, determined to follow the two men if only to ensure Lyon's safety. He gazed down at the beautiful sight of Natsu sleeping peacefully in his bed, wanting to reassure himself it was real. Grabbing the first set of clothes he found off the floor, he quickly put them on in the dark and after one last look at his bed and a pat to his pockets to make sure he had his keys he hastened out the door, stopping only to ensure the door closed soundlessly before sprinting down the four flights of stairs and out the door.

Zeref and Lyon weren't hard to spot, the sun wasn't quite out yet, and the streets were devoid of the usual clutter of pedestrians. The two men were engrossed in their conversation, making it a simple task for Gray to catch up and follow closely enough to listen.

_I didn't use to believe in them either. I'm actually forty-four years old, but I haven't aged a day since I was twenty-nine. I've never told anyone this story before, but maybe it will help you understand why I have to leave._

Gray was dumbfounded, Zeref was planning on leaving Natsu?! He couldn't do that, it would break him all over again! Gray was about to give him a piece of his mind when he heard Zeref's next words, and they were nothing at all like what he'd expected.

_Once, we were a perfect happy family. The woman in the picture was my wife, Sona. The child is Natsu, he was three years old in that picture. It's the last one we ever took as a family. They were really all I cared about, my whole world revolved around them._

He knew there was something suspicious about Zeref, but he could never have predicted this. Zeref was Natsu's father?! How was that even possible, and what about Igneel? How did he fit into all this? Gray swallowed his protests and listened with growing disbelief.

_But I had other responsibilities, ones that I had been prepared for since my birth. My father was the Emperor of Alvarez, a vast country within the continent of Alakistasia, and I was to take his place when he died. I'd thought I had years before that happened, but my father fell ill, and before I knew it, I was the Emperor. _

_I had less time to spend with Sona and Natsu as I was forced to embrace my new responsibilities, but I still made sure to schedule time in my day to be with them. I couldn't imagine my life without them. Looking back, that might have appeared a weakness to those who would do me harm. _

_A neighboring country, Rivera, wanted me to sign a trade agreement that was unfavorable to Alvarez and I refused. My most trusted advisor, Igneel, warned me they might attempt to force the issue, but I didn't listen. I thought the matter ended with my refusal._

_I returned from a function to find the palace overrun with intruders. I rushed to my living quarters as my guards reinforced the ones that were already fighting, while a smaller contingent of my personal guard followed me. _

_I'd never run so fast in my life, and Igneel matched me step for step, both of us cursing the distance between the palace entrance and the living quarters. As we neared, I called out to Sona and Natsu, but all I could hear was Natsu crying out for me. I should have realized at that point. Natsu wasn't a crier, he was tough even back then, and he sounded broken. _

_Nothing could've ever prepared me for the sight that greeted me inside my chamber. My wife had been disgraced, her body abused and bloodied from multiple stab wounds. She'd been left to die on our bed. Natsu, who was only three, sat by her side, gently nudging her and sobbing out for his Daddy. _

_There were several men still in the room, and they were making their way to Natsu. I had no way of knowing what their plan was. Perhaps they only meant to kidnap Natsu and force me to agree to their demands, but when I saw them point their weapons at my son, I became possessed by something ugly and dark. _

_To this day, I hold no memory of what I did to them. Igneel told me he tried to stop me, but when he couldn't, he took Natsu with him and left the room to keep him from seeing any more. I know Natsu saw something because he acted scared of me for a time, but we were all we had left, and we huddled together in our grief. _

_My pain soon turned to hatred, and I was consumed with only one thought. Destroying my enemies. Without meaning to, I left more and more of Natsu's care to Igneel._

_The empire mourned for the loss of its Empress, and we went to war with Rivera. They soon learned what it meant to come against me, as they were brutally wiped out by the might of our armies. I thought this would bring me pleasure, but it did no such thing. _

_Sona was still dead, her last moments filled with more pain than I could ever imagine, and I couldn't forgive myself for that. I wanted to bring her back to life. To see those beautiful green eyes smile at me again. To hear her say she forgave me for not being there. _

_Everyone I conferred with insisted it couldn't be done, but I wouldn't give up. It had become an obsession, and I was caught in its grasp._

_Igneel begged me to think of Natsu, but I was too far gone. I had been a bit of a scholar before I had met Sona and I devoured text after text, looking for any way to bring her back. And I found one._

_I brought her back to life for two glorious days, but in doing so, I cursed myself._

_My activities caught the attention of Ankhseram, the God of Life and Death. He was furious that I had dared to interfere in his domain, and he appeared before us._

_He took Sona away from me and placed her somewhere I would never be able to reach until I died, before cursing me to live until no more of my bloodline walked the Earth._

_I didn't believe it at first. I tried many things to prove Ankhseram wrong, but no matter what I did, I couldn't die._

_I had only one thing left to live for._

_Natsu._

_He was my pride and joy, my treasure, and once I accepted Sona was outside of my reach, I tried to be the best father I could. _

_He split his time between myself and Igneel, to whom I'd assigned the job of his protector. I worked hard to give my best to Alvarez and to Natsu, my pathetic attempt at an apology for all the destruction and misery I'd caused with my petty revenge._

_And for about two years we managed to live happily. Until the day, I very publically survived when I should have died. That changed everything._

_People outside of the palace began to fear me. There were murmurings of deals with devils around the time I was trying to bring Sona back. There was another attack on the castle, this time from my own people._

_I didn't want any more blood on my hands, so I offered to surrender. I'd let them take me into custody, as long as they allowed Igneel to leave the palace with Natsu._

_But they wouldn't agree to my terms, and so my personal guard fought to give Igneel time to escape. Once they were gone, I allowed myself to be taken._

_I was imprisoned, and they performed all sorts of experiments on me, curious as to the limits of my demise. My cousin Acnologia took my place as Emperor, and he set about suppressing any support for my release._

_For years I existed this way, my body in constant agony from their attempts to kill me. It mattered not, I didn't care about much of anything. Until one of my allies snuck the first letter from Igneel into my cell. _

_He'd included pictures of Natsu, and suddenly I was alive again. There weren't many details included in the letters, Igneel didn't want anyone to be able to find them after all, but it didn't matter. Seeing Natsu alive and happy was more than enough for me. I watched him grow in pictures, and every year, he looked more and more like my beautiful Sona. _

_I knew that Natsu's death before he had a chance to bear children would be the only thing to release me from this curse I had earned. But even so, I would happily live a dozen lifetimes to ensure his survival._

_I'd wish him a dozen children if that's what made him happy. He'd already seen too much death and blood to last a lifetime, he deserved that much. I was thankful to have made a friend like Igneel, who was willing to take in my son as his own and give him everything I could not. But I received a final letter from Igneel telling me he'd been recognized and had to leave Natsu for fear our enemies would find him._

_I didn't know what to do, I tried to escape several times, hoping to somehow find Natsu and protect him with my life, but I never made it that far. A few months later I heard rumors of a new prisoner and soon came to learn it was Igneel. _

_He'd hoped to unite my supporters and try to force my release, but he'd been captured as soon as he'd crossed the border of Alvarez._

_We were able to speak a few times, and he gave me all the details I had lacked, including Natsu's location. We began to plot our escape, but he was executed before we had a chance to make our attempt._

That was too much for Gray, he felt a deep sense of sadness overtake him as he remembered the man who had always been like a father to him and Lyon. A man who was dead because of his devotion to this man. This man who took Natsu away from him for two years, and suddenly he'd had enough. He didn't want to listen to any more.

"Igneel is dead?" Gray grabbed Zeref by the collar of his shirt, stopping his forward movement before turning him around to face him, "How long?"

Zeref held Gray's gaze, "He was executed eight years ago."

"Where the hell did _you_ come from?" Lyon peered at him in surprise, wondering how much of the conversation his brother had heard.

"You sonofabitch!" Gray punched Zeref's jaw as hard as he could manage, shaking his hand as he felt the pain work its way through his bones. "You've known Igneel was dead all this time and you didn't tell him?"

"Gray!" Lyon shouted, "This is Natsu's father."

"_Igneel_ was his father," Gray insisted stubbornly. He was furious, all he could think of was the years Natsu spent tirelessly searching for Igneel, never once giving up hope that he would find him someday. This was going to destroy him.

Zeref rubbed his jaw, "He's right, Lyon. I don't deserve to be called his father, Igneel earned that right more than I ever did. Igneel loved Natsu, he always put Natsu's needs ahead of his own. I will not take that away from either of them."

"None of what you're saying makes a whit of sense," Gray narrowed his eyes, shrugging away from the confusion he felt at Zeref's story. He rubbed his temples, suddenly wishing he'd drunk that glass of water after all.

"I realize that this must seem like I'm making it up, but I assure you everything I've said is true, and that is why I have to go. I can't tell Natsu I'm his father, and I can't pretend to be his older brother forever. How long do you think I can hang around before Natsu realizes I don't age?"

"I won't pretend to understand any of this, but the fact remains, no one can live forever."

"I won't live forever, just until all my descendants have died."

"So if Natsu doesn't have kids you'll be able to die?"

"Yes, as soon as he does."

"So problem solved, Natsu and I won't have kids."

Zeref began to laugh, and once he started, he couldn't seem to stop.

"What's so fucking funny?"

"Nothing," Zeref said in between laughs, wiping a few tears away with his hand, "You're just very confident for someone who was rejected the only time he ever made a move."

"That was your fault, asshole," Gray retorted although he couldn't deny his confidence took a slight hit at Zeref's words. "Natsu and I will work it out, we belong together."

Gray was as sure of that as he was of the fact that Juvia was going to kill his brother in a few hours. "Lyon, go home, I can take it from here."

"There's really no point in me going to bed anymore, and Natsu is like a brother to me," Lyon reminded him, "I would like to see this through."

Zeref scrutinized Gray carefully, the intensity of his stare making the younger man nervous, although he tried to hide it. "I'm glad you were able to forgive him for leaving the way he did, it was something he was worried about. I am sure my leaving will hurt him for a short time, but having you by his side will more than make up for it."

'If you truly believe that then you weren't paying much attention during your time with him," Gray was becoming steadily more irritated by Zeref's dispassionate attitude," Were _you_ able to give up on bringing back Sona?"

Gray waited for an answer, and although none came, Zeref's expression changed from dispassion to respect, and Gray used the opportunity to his advantage. "He is your son, if you leave him, he will _never_ stop searching for you, and I will _not_ watch him go through that again."

"He's right, Zeref," Lyon agreed, "I already told you that earlier. Natsu has been searching for his family for the last nine years. You need to give him closure and give him a chance to know you for who you really are."

"If there is one thing I learned in our time together, it's that Natsu is good. He deserves better than me, he always did. All I can offer him is pain," Zeref pointed out stubbornly.

"Listen here, he might deserve better than you, but you are what he has. So you're going to march your ass back to our apartment, and you're going to tell Natsu who you are, and you will tell him everything you know about Igneel," Gray demanded, "Then _he_ can decide what he wants for once."

Lyon agreed with Gray, but he thought a kinder approach was warranted to get Zeref to agree. He believed that the bigger problem lay in Zeref feeling like he might be taking away Natsu's future.

"If you don't want to tell him about the condition of your curse, then don't tell him. We promise to keep your secret if that's what it takes to get you to stay." Lyon glared at his twin, daring him to refute his promise.

He squeezed Zeref's shoulder, "I can't imagine the pain you have been through, but if you want to ever be worthy of being his father, this is the best way. And you're wrong. There is still one thing you can give him, you can tell him about Sona."

"He's going to hate me," Zeref fretted, pulling out the locket again and staring at the picture encased within. He noticed Gray looking at it with curiosity and showed him as he had to Lyon.

Gray's breath hitched as he saw the image of Natsu as a child, and although his mind was trying to convince him that the image was doctored, he somehow knew that wasn't what this was. As much as he wanted to disbelieve Zeref's story, he could no longer deny it, and he felt a bit sorry for the man.

He held his hand out, willing Zeref to take it. Zeref stared at it, and with a loud sigh, he grabbed it.

"I'm going to regret this."

Lyon grabbed his other hand, and together, the three men walked back towards Gray and Lyon's apartment.

A/N: I had my daughter read this for clarity and she pointed out that the years/dates were confusing. Natsu was six when he and Igneel reached Magnolia, this is the age he, Gray and Lyon met. He was 11 when Igneel left him, 12 when Igneel was executed. Zeref wrote the letter right after Igneel died but it took six years to get to Natsu, passing through many hands until it reached Magnolia. He received the letter when he was 18 and he spent 2 years with Zeref making his current age 20. Also, she and my husband would like to note that my love for Brazilian steakhouses transcends my world-building, seeing as Brazil should not exist in this world. I love steak, sue me!

Uhm looks like maybe one more chapter, but don't quote me on that.


	5. Chapter 5

Gratsu Bingo 2019

Prompt: Death

Chapter 5

The door to the apartment had barely closed when Natsu rushed out of the bedroom dressed in one of Gray's old t-shirts and shorts.

"Where were you guys?" he grumbled, examining them intently, looking for any clue to their disappearance. When he sensed no hostility between them, he relaxed. "I woke up, and you were all gone."

"Sorry," Lyon replied, "I couldn't sleep, too nervous about today. They went with me to keep me company."

"Right," Natsu rolled his eyes at the blatant lie, "It's nice to see some things never change, you still suck at lying."

Lyon laughed nervously, "I really do need to start getting ready. I'm going to go take a shower to see if I can wake up some. Can someone make me some coffee, please?"

"I think I can manage that," Zeref offered, "Maybe even some breakfast, depending on what you have on hand."

Zeref set himself to the task of putting some food together, wanting to give Natsu and Gray some time to talk.

"Hey Gray, don't forget Mom is coming over in about an hour."

Gray cursed inwardly, he'd let himself get so caught up in everything that was happening he'd conveniently forgotten he was still expected to attend the wedding. He glanced over at Natsu, wishing he could just ditch it and spend more time with him but even he wasn't that much of an asshole.

He'd never do that to Lyon, his brother had always been supportive of him, and it was his turn to do the same for him. Especially since he'd already shown him how nervous he was.

"I'll be ready," Gray gave his brother a reassuring smile before grabbing Natsu's hand and leading him back into his bedroom, closing the door behind them, wondering if it was too soon to try to kiss him. He settled for pulling him into a hug.

Natsu let him hold him tightly against him without complaining, "You know, I don't remember you being this touchy-feely before."

"Does it bother you?" Gray released him, gazing at Natsu's expression, wondering if he was pushing him away already.

"Not exactly, it's just different," Natsu rubbed his forehead, a nervous gesture Gray remembered well, "It's just I spent two years thinking you hated me."

"If I'm honest, I might have for a day or two, but then I got my head out of my ass," Gray admitted before lowering his head sadly, "Why didn't you ever try to get in touch me?"

He was still a bit upset that Natsu had never replied to any of his messages.

"I lost my phone on the boat. I was really sick during the trip, and it fell overboard at some point," Natsu explained sheepishly, "I haven't had a phone in almost two years. I did think about writing to you once I realized I was going to be gone a lot longer than I'd thought, but we were never really in town or cities."

"I would have gone with you," Gray murmured softly, and he found himself grabbing hold of Natsu's hand. It was getting embarrassing, he couldn't seem to stop himself from touching him, but he felt the need to continually reassure himself that Natsu was really there.

"I know you would have, but I had no idea what I was getting into, and I would have never forgiven myself if I put you in danger."

Natsu smiled at all the unexpected affection. It was unusual for Gray to be so needy, but Natsu knew he'd scared him by disappearing and he didn't mind.

He'd come back for this after all, determined to try to make a go at a relationship. It had torn him up inside to have to deny Gray at that party, but his mind had already been made up, and he'd hoped he could fix things when he returned.

"I'm not going anywhere, Ice Block," Natsu insisted while squeezing Gray's hand, "I promise."

Hearing him talk about his time away reminded Gray that he still didn't know anything about what had happened. It also made him think about what Zeref had told them. Igneel was dead.

It hurt to think about it. Gray had loved Igneel, the man had been a father figure to him and Lyon when they'd desperately needed one. He remembered how the two of them would fantasize that Igneel would fall deeply in love with their mother and marry her and they would all be one big happy family like one of those cheesy shows on TV.

But it never happened, although Ur and Igneel liked each other well enough, they seemed to be content being single parents, helping each other out whenever they could. And now Gray thought he understood why.

Gray knew the grief he felt was only a fraction of what Natsu would feel, and although he understood it would only get worse the longer they postponed it, Zeref had to be the one to tell him. Not just because Gray didn't want to be the one to destroy his hopes, but because he knew Zeref would see it as part of his penance. He would never feel worthy of telling Natsu who he was until he got this off his chest.

That just made him want to hold on tighter, for he had a feeling the next time he saw Natsu, he would be irrevocably changed. He really hoped Zeref didn't fuck this up.

"So, uh did you date anyone else besides Juvia?"

"Can we please not talk about this now?" The last thing Gray wanted to get into in his current mood was all the stupid shit he'd done while Natsu was gone. He regretted all of it.

"Oh," Natsu looked down at Gray's carpet, not wanting him to see his disappointment.

"I — I thought you left _because_ I kissed you, and then you never returned my calls. I was upset and disgusted with myself, and I thought I'd fucked up our friendship," Gray tried to explain, but it sounded lame even to him.

"I had it all planned out," Natsu said wistfully, "I was going to come out to you, and give you some time to get used to it, maybe have you see me the way I saw _you_. And then, then I was going to tell you how I felt."

Natsu snorted, "I never expected _you_ to be the one to kiss me. God, I wanted to kiss you back so much, but that would've been unfair. I already knew I was leaving. I thought I was only going to be gone for the summer, I figured we could pick things up when I came back."

"Let's just pretend none of that happened, and start over, yeah?" Gray's eyes softened, he let go of Natsu's hand to trace his finger on the other's cheek. "I like you Natsu, I have for so so long."

"I like you too, Princess," Natsu grinned happily, using the nickname he'd coined because of how long it took Gray to do anything, the last of his worries floating away with Gray's words. He placed his arm around Gray's waist and tugged him towards him, their mouths inching ever closer, breath intermingling as lips almost touched only to be interrupted by the loud sound of urgent knocking.

Gray, irritated by the interruption, looked down at his watch, and with a long-suffering sigh, ran to open the door. The wedding craziness had begun.

"Don't tell me you're not even dressed yet?" A disgruntled voice scolded Gray in dismay as she entered the apartment before turning to yell. "Lyon, where are you?"

"In my room!" Lyon called out in a muffled voice, "I'm getting ready."

"You're early, " Gray complained to his mother.

"Nice to see you too, Sunshine," Ur retorted, giving her son a peck on the cheek, "I was going crazy at the house, and Juvia's mother has been calling nonstop, it made me anxious."

Gray waited for what he knew would immediately happen, feeling a bit badly for his poor mother who already had a lot on her plate. Today was probably not the best day to dump all this on her.

"Natsu?" Ur experienced a myriad of emotions at seeing the boy she considered as her other son, but for the moment relief prevailed, "Oh my God! Baby, is that really you?"

Natsu gave her a warm smile, even though he knew for a fact he was about to get his ass handed to him in a few minutes. "Hey Ur, I'm back!"

She lunged at him, giving him a hug that quite possibly removed a few years from his life, but it was well worth it. This woman was the only mother he'd ever known, and he loved her deeply, despite her occasional emotional outbursts. He flinched when he felt the tears wet his shoulders. Shit! He'd made her cry.

Once she'd gotten the hug out of the way, she laid into him, "Where the hell have you been? We were all worried sick about you."

"He went looking for Igneel," Gray informed her, trying to get some of her attention away from his boyfriend.

Ur's eyes widened, and she was about to say something when she caught a strange look on Gray's face that confused her. She decided to back off until she could figure out what it meant. "Well, of course he did, and I can't wait to hear all about it once this wedding is over. Gray, have you even taken a shower yet?"

"No, Mom, I was talking to Natsu."

"Well I need help getting stuff in the car, and neither of you is ready to go," Ur complained.

"Zeref and I can help," Natsu assured her.

"Who's Zeref?" Ur asked, her nose wrinkling as she thought about all of her sons' friends.

"He's my brother," Natsu grinned, knowing that information would shock her.

"Your what?!" Ur squealed, "Okay now I really can't wait to hear about what happened to you."

Natsu laughed, "Let me get some shoes on." He went to Gray's room to look for his shoes and change back into his jeans. After some brief introductions, he and Zeref were recruited to be her slaves while she waited for the twins to get ready.

The twins were finished by the time Zeref and Natsu were done lugging boxes and other random items down to Ur's car. They all sat down together to eat the food Zeref had made.

"Lyon, you look like shit, your pictures are going to come out terrible," Ur groaned, already thinking of Juvia's mother, "Did you even sleep?"

Gray waited until Lyon and his mom were bickering before he leaned over to whisper to Natsu.

"Are you sure I can't talk you into coming to the wedding with me?"

Natsu seemed to consider it, but he shook his head, "Today should be about Lyon and Juvia. If I show up, people are going to flip out. I don't want to take away from them, and in all honesty, I don't think I'm ready to face everyone yet."

Gray knew Natsu was right, but it pained him to leave him, it was stupid he knew, but he'd just gotten him back.

"I promise I'll be here when you get back."

"Alright," Gray agreed, placing his hand over Natsu's underneath the table and smiling when Natsu laced their fingers together.

After a lot of hectic goodbyes and Ur extracting a promise from Natsu that he and his brother would have dinner with her and Gray that evening, the Fullbusters were off.

Gray and Lyon had agreed not to tell Ur about Igneel's death until after the wedding knowing it would be a shock to her and it would ruin her enjoyment of the ceremony.

"Are you ready for this?" Ur asked Lyon seriously as they made their way to the car, both boys holding on to garment bags containing their formalwear for the wedding.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Lyon deadpanned, causing Ur to whack him on the head and Gray to laugh.

"Everything's going to be just fine," Gray assured him before adding with a smirk, "At least it's not _me_ marrying Juvia."

Lyon rose to the bait, and the two happily bickered all the way to the church with Ur yelling at them to shut the hell up.

O-o

Natsu waited for a few minutes to make sure they were really gone before laying into Zeref, "So you wanna tell me what that little stroll was all about?"

"I don't know what you mean," Zeref hedged as he set about clearing up the plates from the table and putting them in the sink. He'd no idea how to work the machine, he'd always had servants for that sort of thing. The only reason he knew how to cook anything was that he'd liked to spoil Sona sometimes by making her breakfast in bed.

He was terrified, he didn't want to lose his son after just getting him back, but Zeref knew that was a distinct possibility, just as he knew it would be no one's fault but his own. There was a lot he hadn't told Natsu yet.

Like the fact that he'd been the one to write that letter. Or that Acnologia wanted Natsu dead since he was the legitimate heir to the Empire of Alvarez.

"Please," Natsu scoffed, fixing his gaze on his brother, "I've known those two most of my life, it was obvious they were upset about something, and I sort of doubt it had anything to do with the wedding. What did you tell them?"

"You didn't tell them about the time we got captured?!" Natsu panicked briefly. Gray would flip his lid if he ever learned of that. Then again, if Gray knew about it, Natsu would probably already be sporting a black eye.

"No, nothing like that," Zeref assured him, "I didn't tell them anything about our time in Alvarez."

"Then what? What could you possibly say that would upset them?" Natsu pushed, narrowing his eyes as a thought occurred to him. "You don't have a problem with me being gay all of a sudden, do you? Because I'm not giving Gray up!"

Zeref had to laugh at that, out of all the fathers in the world, he was probably the most relieved to learn his son was gay. It wasn't a guarantee that Natsu would never father any children, but it certainly improved his odds of being able to die in one lifetime. "No, Natsu. I'm quite happy that things seem to be going well with Gray. I like him."

He watched Natsu continue to worry and worked his courage up. Gray and Lyon were right, Natsu needed closure so that he could begin the grieving process that should have started years ago.

"Could you sit down? I need to tell you something important."

Natsu did as he was told, staring up at Zeref with trusting eyes that hurt more than he thought possible.

"It's about Igneel," Zeref had barely managed to get the name out when Natsu jumped out of his seat and rushed towards him, grabbing his shoulders excitedly.

"You know where he is? Is he in Magnolia? Why didn't you tell me before? Can we go see him?"

Zeref couldn't bear to look at the wild hope in Natsu's eyes, his hands tightened into fists as he willed himself to destroy that hope forever. He'd never felt crueler in his life.

"No Natsu, I'm afraid we can't. You see, Igneel died many years ago," Zeref managed to get the words out somehow, and when he witnessed Natsu's despair he learned that although he might not be able to die physically there were many ways to die, and he'd just discovered one. He felt wretched.

"You can't know that!" Natsu protested. His eyes had begun to tear up, and he sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Zeref. His voice was getting increasingly louder as he fought off the words he didn't want to accept.

"He's out there, I know he is, and I'll find him! You'll see."

"No, Natsu, you need to listen to me," Zeref kept his voice as low as he could, hoping Natsu would get himself under control. "Igneel died in Alvarez, eight years ago." He gulped before adding, "I was there, I saw it happen."

"You...you WHAT?!" Natsu screeched, "Why didn't you save him?" he grabbed Zeref's shoulders again, shaking him roughly, and Zeref let him, knowing Natsu needed to get some of his grief out.

"He was a prisoner just like I was, there was nothing I could do."

Natsu stopped hitting him, satisfied for the moment. He studied him intently, and Zeref could tell he was thinking hard.

"Why?! Why did they kill him, what did he even do? Why did he go to Alvarez in the first place?"

Zeref sighed, he'd been hoping Natsu wouldn't ask that question, but now that he had Zeref wouldn't lie. Natsu deserved to hear the truth, but before he could say a word, Natsu had already figured it out.

"He went there because of you, didn't he? DIDN'T HE?"

"Yes, he did," Zeref couldn't interpret Natsu's expression, and it was beginning to worry him until it finally settled into one he was very used to seeing.

Hatred.

And as much as it hurt, Zeref found he couldn't fault him for it.

Natsu dissolved into sobs, looking more like a child than Zeref had ever seen him and he wanted to do something, anything to make his son stop crying like that, but all he could manage was an apology. "I'm so sorry, Natsu. I wish they'd killed me instead."

"Me too," Natsu spat out, and ran out of the apartment. He couldn't stand to look at Zeref any longer.

Zeref watched him leave, trying very hard not to let those words get to him. He knew Natsu was upset and he probably didn't mean them. It had gone about as badly as he'd expected.

Zeref was convinced that Natsu would never be able to accept him as his father, hell he'd be lucky if the boy ever wanted to have anything to do with him ever again.

Even so, he needed to make sure Natsu was alright. He decided to chase after him, but by the time he'd made it downstairs, Natsu was nowhere to be found.

To make matters worse, Zeref realized he had no keys to get back into the apartment. He'd never been to Magnolia before, and he'd no idea where anything was so he sat down on the building's front steps to wait for Gray to return home. Hoping he would have an idea where Natsu might have gone.

"I'm sorry Igneel, I handled that poorly," Zeref muttered before placing his head in his hand and letting himself cry for the first time since being forced to witness Igneel's execution.


	6. Chapter 6

Gratsu Bingo 2019

Prompt: Hate

Chapter 6

_Stupid Zeref. Igneel is not dead, he's not dead, not dead, dead…._

_NO!_

Natsu ran as fast as he could, not bothering to pay any attention to where he was going. Next thing he knew, he was on the ground with no clue how he'd gotten there. There was a pained moan underneath him, and he scrambled to get up, finding a young girl staring up at him, a toy stroller on its side next to them.

He was quick to apologize, wiping his tears away before offering to help her up, all while trying to ignore the disquieted looks he was getting from her father. Natsu helped the girl put her dolly back in the stroller.

He found himself staring at the father, the way he was scowling at Natsu, daring him to lay a hand on his daughter. Protecting. Just like Igneel used to do.

_Igneel can't be dead, not dead, dead…_

_Igneel's not dead damn it! He and Zeref must have just missed him. All he had to do was return to Alvarez and find him._

He slowed down his pace, tears streaming down his face steadily. He made no attempt to wipe them away. _Yeah!_ That's what he needed to do, he needed to go back to Alvarez.

Natsu tried to shove that thought away before it could gain any traction. He couldn't do that. He'd promised Gray he'd be there when he returned. Natsu had already left him once, he couldn't do it again. Besides what he'd said to Zeref, it was wrong. It had been unnecessarily cruel, and he already regretted it.

He refused to think of the despair in his brother's eyes when Natsu said he'd wished Zeref had died in Igneel's place.

_Which was ridiculous, cause Igneel is most definitely not dead._

Zeref's words had filled him with anger, and a blazing hatred that, although quick to disperse, had left Natsu unsettled. He'd never felt an emotion that strong before. He loved his brother, had felt a connection to him from the moment they'd met.

But, what did he really know about Zeref? Other than he was four years older than him and he'd been some sort of political prisoner. How was that possible when he'd spent almost two years with the guy?

Natsu was six when they moved to Magnolia, and all memories before that were shaky at best. How does a ten-year-old boy become a political prisoner? Why had Igneel never told him about Zeref?

Nothing made any sense, and it hurt his head. He kept coming up with more and more questions, but he didn't have any damn answers. Not a single one.

He kept walking, not really paying attention to where he was going, just letting his feet guide him while he tried to take control of his frantic mind. Trying to ignore the voice that was yelling at him that there must be a reason why he hadn't asked any questions of Zeref. Had he known something after all?

After walking for what felt like hours, he came upon a familiar place. He decided to stop there and rest, just for a little while, if only to help quiet his mind. He sat down on a bench and promptly fell asleep.

O-o

Gray was exhausted, the wedding felt like it had gone on forever. The pictures alone had taken over an hour, and despite Ur's misgivings Gray had to imagine they'd come out fine. Lyon had a stupid smile on his face throughout the whole thing, somehow managing to get a second wind the moment he'd seen Juvia.

Ur and Gray had stayed until Lyon and Juvia had left for their honeymoon, and then they'd headed back home to meet up with Zeref and Natsu for an early dinner.

They'd been driving for a few minutes when Gray decided he'd withheld his news long enough. He'd offered to drive knowing she probably wouldn't react well to what he had to tell her.

"Mom, I have to tell you something," Gray said seriously.

"You're bisexual and in love with Natsu," Ur giggled, a little buzzed from all the toasts, "I've known forever."

"Uhm… no, that's not it, but I'm glad you're taking that so well," Gray replied, a little surprised by her reaction.

"Well then, what is it?"

"Igneel is dead," Gray's voice reflected the pain he was still feeling.

"Igneel?" Ur covered her mouth, but she resisted his words. It wasn't hard to, Natsu's optimism was very contagious. "How can you be so sure?"

"Zeref told us last night, he was executed in Alvarez about a year after he left."

"Alvarez? That country in Alakitasia? What would Igneel be doing all the way over there?"

"That's a much longer story that I'm not really at liberty to discuss right now."

"Igneel was my friend, I think I deserve to know," Ur snapped, and then with a small gasp, "Does Natsu know?"

Gray kept his eyes on the road, his stomach tying itself into knots as he wondered if Zeref had already told him.

"Zeref planned on telling him while we were gone."

"Oh, God, that poor boy! This will tear him apart, he'd held hope for so long."

Ur began to cry softly, and Gray grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently, "I'm sorry, Mom."

Ur sniffled for a while longer "What about you, how are you holding up?"

"I don't know, I'm sad, but I'm more worried about Natsu. We both know he's not going to take this well."

It was Ur's turn to squeeze his hand, and he smiled at the gesture.

"You really do love him, don't you?"

Yes, he really fucking did, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"We'll all be there for him when he's ready. It's what Igneel would have wanted," Ur declared, her voice full of a certainty that Gray envied.

Gray rather thought Igneel would have wanted Natsu to find his way to Zeref. He was still having trouble accepting everything Zeref had told them the night before, but it had sounded like Igneel had cared a lot about Zeref as well. Had even gone so far as to go to Alvarez to try to get Zeref out.

He remembered Zeref's description of how he'd found Natsu with his mother. What must he have seen? Poor Natsu, he'd been dealt a crappy hand from the very beginning.

They remained silent the rest of the ride, both caught up in their own thoughts. It was only when Gray got out of the car that he noticed the lone figure sitting on the steps of his building. He hurried over, hearing the car door slam behind him as Ur followed.

"Zeref?"

Zeref raised his head upon hearing his name, and Gray winced. He looked terrible. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot, but once he recognized Gray, he got up quickly and grabbed him by the shoulders, his voice oozing with desperation.

"We have to find him!"

"What happened?" Gray asked, his concern mounting as he saw the expression on Zeref's face. His eyes seemed dull as if he had endured more pain than any one person should, and he was fully expecting to be blasted with more soon.

"I told him about Igneel," he answered simply.

"What did he say?" Ur asked, trying to get Zeref to sit back down.

"It doesn't matter, what's important is he ran off, and I have no idea where. I was hoping you might."

Gray thought long and hard about where Natsu would run off to when he was upset about Igneel. He was reasonably sure he'd narrowed it down to one of two places, and he would make sure to go to the most likely one, in case Natsu wasn't ready to see Zeref yet.

"I'll go to the playground, why don't you guys go to the old house?" Gray suggested.

He tossed the car keys to his mother and ran inside to quickly change out of his tux and into some more comfortable clothes. His heart was pounding, he didn't think Natsu would try to hurt himself but Igneel dying was something he'd always refused to even consider. Anytime anyone would mention the possibility he'd always shut down and so they'd learned to leave it alone.

Zeref had followed him up, and after he'd used the bathroom, Gray finally realized neither of them had brought anything with them the night before. He grabbed some of his clean clothes and tossed them over to the older man.

"Didn't you guys bring anything with you?"

"We left our bags at Sting's apartment, he was the one who gave us your address." Zeref replied, turning away from Gray as he hastily changed his clothes. Gray hadn't meant to look, but he couldn't help but notice how the man's back was literally covered in all manner of scars. It shocked him.

"Did you get a chance to tell him anything else? I kind of wanna know what I'm walking into."

Zeref shook his head, "No, and he hates me now, so maybe it's best if I take off after we find him. I just want to make sure he's alright."

"He _doesn't _hate you."

"You didn't see his face," Zeref insisted.

"Dude, Natsu is incapable of hating anyone, that's just who he is. He's just hurt and angry, and I mean, can you blame him?"

"No, I know I should have told him. I just — I wanted us to get to know each other without having Igneel between us. By the time I realized how unfair that was, it was too late to tell him. It was stupid."

"Yeah it was, but love makes us do all sorts of stupid shit," Gray pointed out with a smile, "We'll find him, and we'll help him get through it. It's what family does, and you," Gray made a point of looking into Zeref's eyes, "are a part of his family."

Once Zeref had nodded in grudging agreement, Gray grabbed his car keys, "Now, let's go find him."

They hurried down the stairs, Zeref going with Ur to the house Natsu had lived in with Igneel as a child and Gray running to his car to head over to the playground where he and Lyon had first met Natsu.

o-o

Gray parked his car in the first available spot and immediately set to looking around for Natsu. He checked all the places where they used to play and panicked when there was no sign of him, not sure where else he might have gone to in his state.

He began asking people if they'd seen a young man with pink hair who might have been acting upset, but no one had. Gray made his way deeper into the park, past the playground and onto the small hiking trails that were just right for families with small children.

Gray was convinced Natsu was in here somewhere, so he kept walking until he caught sight of something he hadn't thought about in a long time.

The duck pond Igneel had loved. Gray remembered how he'd always bring them here when he wanted to speak with them, letting them feed the birds as he talked.

Gray could almost hear his voice, quietly scolding him about a rougher than usual fight with Lyon, or urging him to do better in school. They had so many talks over the five years he'd been a part of his life. Gray couldn't hold back any longer.

At that moment, everything became much too real. Igneel was gone, and he was never coming back. He had died alone in his homeland, trying his hardest to reunite a father with his son.

Gray found himself crying, his chest heaving as tears that were too warm and salty trailed down his cheeks. He couldn't even say who he was crying for — himself, Igneel, Natsu or Zeref, but a small part of him felt like his own father had died all over again.

When Gray managed to bring his tears down to mere sniffles, he made his way over to the small pond and found Natsu asleep on a bench. He was muttering in his sleep, his body twitching so restlessly Gray was surprised he hadn't fallen off.

"Natsu?" Gray called out softly, not wanting to startle him awake. He'd only made that mistake once, and he did not care to repeat it. He tried to make himself comfortable in the small space next to Natsu's head.

"Hey Natsu," Gray ran his fingers through Natsu's hair once, noting with sorrow the dried tear tracks on his cheeks before shaking a shoulder gently. "Wake up, sleepyhead. Everyone's worried about you."

While Natsu slowly woke up, Gray texted his mother, letting her know he'd found him and mentioning their location. She replied, promising to bring Zeref with her.

He sort of felt sorry for having made Zeref go with Ur, knowing she'd probably pelted him with questions. And he couldn't help but wonder how much Zeref might have told her.

Natsu sat up, surprised by Gray's presence but still too tired to form complete sentences. "Gray? How?"

"How did I find you?" When Natsu nodded, he explained, "This is where we met the two of you, all those years ago. I figured you'd come here, although I expected you to be by the playground. I hadn't thought about the pond in years."

"Man, I got scolded so many times here, but Igneel never yelled, you know?" Gray found himself dangerously close to sniffling again.

"Not you too! Stop talking like Igneel's gone. He's not gone, he's…,"

"Natsu, he's gone," Gray said firmly, capturing Natsu's gaze and holding it.

"NO! He's not dead, he's not, I'm going to find him," Natsu's cries were desperate, and it was breaking Gray's heart to have to correct him.

"He _is_ gone, Zeref saw it happen," Gray insisted, feeling crueler by the second.

"Zeref doesn't know what he's talking about," Natsu yelled, covering his ears with his hands, "Igneel's not dead, not dead, not dead, not dead…"

Gray was unnerved by the way Natsu kept repeating the words over and over, a mantra to keep his hope alive.

"Stop it!" Gray tried to pull Natsu's hands away from his ears, he needed Natsu to listen to him, but he was holding on too tight leaving Gray no choice but to yell.

"Why would Zeref lie to you about this?"

"Because he's not who he says he is!" Natsu screamed, surprising both of them.

_What the hell did I just say?_

Gray knew Natsu was right, but he couldn't admit that. Only Zeref could.

"What do you mean?"

"I… I don't know," Natsu whispered, but in his heart, he knew that wasn't true. He'd known something was off for a long time, he just hadn't wanted to admit it because he liked the idea of having a brother. Even if it made no sense at all.

"There's something, something that's been bugging me since he mentioned Igneel for the first time, but it can't be. I — I think I'm going crazy."

"Natsu —, I'm sorry," Gray had no clue what else to say so he put his arm around him instead and let him cry into his shoulder, holding him as close as possible.

"He can't be dead, Gray "Natsu sobbed piteously, "I never got to say goodbye."

"I know. It's not fair, but Igneel wouldn't want to see you like this," Gray murmured soothingly, "He loved you. The last thing he would have ever wanted was to cause you pain."

Natsu only cried harder.

"I always thought the only reason he would have left was to protect you from something," Gray moved his arm from Natsu's shoulder, running his fingers through the pink locks that had always fascinated him.

It broke him to see Natsu like this, he'd always been the sunshine Gray had depended on to keep going, which is why he'd fallen to such depths when it was gone.

"If that was true, I'm sure he kept you with him until the very end," Gray's tears fell on Natsu like droplets of rain, and for the moment he was content to cry together with him, knowing Igneel had meant a lot to him too.

"He did," Zeref's voice surprised both of them out of the little bubble they had created for themselves.

Zeref stood in front of their bench, peering down at them through his own tears. "I know you might not want to listen to anything I have to say right now, but you deserve to know a few things. After I'm done, you can tell me what you want me to do, and I will honor it."

Natsu clasped Gray's hand instinctively. Zeref noticed the gesture and smiled reassuringly, "He doesn't have to go anywhere, he already knows part of it. Ur can stay as well. They are your family."

Natsu nodded his agreement, and Zeref walked towards the grassy area across from the benches and sat down, his back leaning against a tree. Natsu, Gray, and Ur followed, sitting around him and waiting for him to speak.

Zeref remained quiet for a time, gazing at Natsu intently before putting his hands behind his neck and unlocking the clasp of his locket for the first time since placing it there so many years ago. He removed it and handed it over to Natsu quickly before he could change his mind.

"This belongs to you now, your mother would have wanted you to have it," Zeref felt like he was ready to cry again. That locket had been the only thing to give him comfort for years and without its comforting weight against his heart, he felt a wave of despair rise within him.

Natsu held it in his hand, not quite daring to open it.

"Go ahead, open it," Zeref urged, curious to see how Natsu would respond to the picture.

Gray kept his hand on Natsu at all times, using touch to ground him. He knew some of what was coming, and he couldn't predict how Natsu was going to react.

Natsu fiddled with the locket, not quite sure how to open it but determined not to break it. It unfolded smoothly, and he gawked at the picture inside. Zeref, looking much like he did now, a woman that his heart instantly recognized and a chid that looked like him. _Was_ that him?

He didn't have many memories of his early childhood, but he knew he'd seen that woman in his dreams, and sometimes in his nightmares. Brief glimpses that disappeared when he woke up, leaving only enough for him to acknowledge that she had been real to him once. And he understood that whatever Zeref was about to tell him was the truth.

It took every ounce of courage he possessed not to run away. Natsu gripped Gray's hand too tightly, but he never complained. He then looked over at Ur, wondering what she must think of all this, but she only watched Zeref with a guarded expression.

"I met Igneel thirty two years ago, when I was twelve years old," Zeref let the words hang in the air as Natsu gaped at him in disbelief.

A/N: I don't even know what to say anymore. This has got to be my poorest planned fic, but I've been trying to keep the chapter size similar and so it keeps growing. My best guess is it should be one more. On the other hand, I haven't had a fic that updated this frequently in quite a while.


	7. Chapter 7

Gratsu Bingo 2019

Prompt: Life

Chapter 7

"That, that's impossible," Natsu protested after doing the math in his head, "That would make you like forty-four."

Zeref sighed, "I know this will be hard for you," he chided, "but I need you to just listen as much as you can."

Natsu glared at the man across from him, not sure what to call him at the moment.

"Igneel wasn't from Alvarez, he was from the neighboring country of Rivera," Zeref began his story, "He'd been hired by my father as his Minister of Foreign Relations."

Natsu looked about ready to say something else, but Zeref shook his head, "Just listen."

"He was a quiet man until you got to know him, and for some reason, he took an interest in me, which surprised me. I wasn't exactly social back then, my nose always in a book as I sought to learn everything I could, hoping to make my father proud when my time came to take his place."

"Igneel would force me to go on small errands with him, saying I would become sickly if I didn't breathe some fresh air every once in a while. It used to make me so angry, I thought it a waste of my time. But soon I found myself looking forward to these excursions," a small smile played on Zeref's lips as he talked, and it was easy to see Zeref had loved Igneel as well.

"He had this way about him that made everything seem interesting, and I found myself learning so much more than I ever had from books. He was also a sneaky teacher," Zeref chuckled, remembering some of the things Igneel would do.

"I remember this one time I observed him practicing with a sword. He ignored me completely the whole time I watched, and by the end, he had me practically begging him to teach me. Only to learn the next day, my father had already asked him to become my weapons instructor."

Zeref noticed the hunger in Natsu's eyes at his words and coughed, "Sorry, I got carried away."

"Anyway, as I got older, he became one of my most trusted advisors. I didn't know much about his life before he came to Alvarez, but I did know he loved children. His entire face would light up in their presence. It wasn't until much later that I found out he'd lost his daughter to crib death," Zeref revealed.

"I married your mother, Sona, and soon we were expecting our first child," Zeref peeked over at Natsu who was gazing down at the locket with a puzzled expression, "I'm not really sure who was more in love with you when you were born, him or me," Zeref tensed as he felt Natsu's eyes on him, eyes that were burning with so many questions he couldn't answer yet. Zeref held his son's gaze and tried to smile, "For a time, our family was very happy."

Gray tensed knowing what was coming, but Natsu was too enthralled by Zeref's words to notice. He was a bit surprised at how Zeref was glossing over Sona and who he was, but he guessed maybe Zeref was just trying to keep it about Igneel for now. He could tell Zeref had told his mom something because she met his gaze before looking over at Natsu sadly.

"But by the time you were two, my father became ill, and I had to take over his job. Everything changed. I made some bad decisions, and your mother was killed because of it," Zeref looked down at his hands, still unable to hide his sorrow at his wife's loss.

"I lost myself in my grief, and I lost sight of you," Zeref's voice broke and Natsu moved over to him, not touching him but placing himself nearer where Zeref could touch _him_. Zeref's eyes widened at the gesture, but he didn't take him up on it.

"But, uhm, Igneel, he was there. He took care of you when I wasn't able to, and he never made me feel guilty over it. He would just make sure I saw you every day, and it helped. You helped so much, but it wasn't enough then, and I'm sorry."

"There are so many things I would take back if I could, stupid things I did, choices I made," he laughed bitterly, "but you're _not_ one of them, and by the time I realized that it was too late. My mistakes had caught up to me, and Igneel had to flee the country with you to keep you safe."

"And that's what he did, for as long as he could. He kept you safe, until the day he was spotted by our enemies," Zeref implored Natsu, "You have to understand, Igneel never wanted to leave you, but he was afraid if he went home he might lead them to you. They would most certainly have killed you."

"Igneel knew Ur would take care of you, so he decided to head back to Alvarez and try to get me out of prison. He thought if he could manage to get me out, I would be able to protect you."

Natsu was beginning to get restless, his body fidgeting as he tried to remain quiet. It wouldn't be long now before the questions started to pour out.

"He was captured crossing into Alvarez from Rivera, and he was imprisoned. The few times we were able to talk, he told me all about you. They, uhm, tried to get him to reveal where you were, but he never broke. He was executed a few months after his capture, and I was forced to watch," Zeref continued talking, but the strain was beginning to show, his hands were shaking more and more with each word.

"He loved you so damn much," Zeref managed a smile, although it was weak and tinged with sadness.

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I want you to understand that I loved him too. Igneel was father, brother, mentor, and friend all rolled up into one. He opened my eyes to what life could be and the fact that I disappointed him so many times is a regret I'll never get over. I really do wish I could have died in his place. Then at least, you'd be happy."

Natsu gasped, "Don't say that! I don't want you to die. God, I shouldn't have said that! I was just…," he bowed his head in shame, his fingers automatically playing with the blades of grass at his feet.

"It's alright, you were upset. There's nothing to apologize for. You were Igneel's son in every way but one, and I fully accept that. I don't want to take his place in your heart, I never could. But, I love you too, Natsu. I know it was wrong of me not to tell you all this earlier, but I just wanted to see if you could love me for who I was."

"You are such a dumbass," Natsu rolled his eyes, "Of course I love you, do you think I would have stuck with you if I didn't? Hanging out in Alvarez and getting shot at wasn't exactly my idea of a good time."

"Shot at?!" Gray glared at Zeref with all the ire he could muster, "He was getting shot at?"

Zeref ignored him, he could only handle one verbal altercation at a time.

"Listen, Gray and I are going to get some food for all of us, we'll be back in a bit," Ur grabbed Gray by the arm and pulled hard. He wanted to stay and learn more about what had happened, but his mom's grip was like a vise. Gray gave her a surprised look, but when Natsu didn't protest his leaving, he gave him a quick hug.

"I'll be back soon." he whispered in Natsu's ear, "I know this is a lot to take in, but please don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

A terse nod was the only reply he received, but it was something. Gray followed his mother away from the duck pond and back toward the cars. He was sure she probably wanted to change out of her wedding clothes as well, and her house was nearby.

"Zeref, I don't get any of this. What is this danger you keep talking about, why wouldn't Igneel tell me?" Natsu asked as soon as Gray and Ur were out of sight.

"I already told you, to keep you safe. You were very young, all of this would have only scared you, and perhaps he thought it best if you forgot some things."

"Like what?"

Zeref remained silent, and it was beginning to piss Natsu off.

"You say you're my father," Natsu said matter-of-factly, "but you're not telling me how the hell that's even possible."

"When a mommy and a daddy love each other very much —," Zeref intoned, immediately shutting up when he caught sight of Natsu's irritated glare.

"Fuck you! That's not funny, Zeref."

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm just feeling a little vulnerable right now."

"You're feeling vulnerable?" Natsu raised an eyebrow at his father.

"What the hell could you possibly be scared about? I'm the one who just found out the guy he thought was his brother is actually his father. It's like a scene from one of those soaps Ur watches. How can you be my father and not look much older than me?"

"Natsu, please don't ask me this now," Zeref begged, "I told you all of this because I wanted you to know what Igneel meant to me, and I wanted you to understand what you meant to him."

"How can you expect me to believe you when you won't tell me anything," Natsu complained, "I spent two years with you, and all I learned about you is that people seem to want to kill you. Why?"

"If I answer that will you back off on the other stuff for now?"

Natsu nodded, and Zeref thought about how to best answer the question.

"I was the Emperor of Alvarez before I was imprisoned."

"The what? You're joking, right?"

"No, I'm not. Our family has ruled Alvarez for hundreds of years. Acnologia, the current Emperor, is my cousin, but when I was removed from power, the rightful heir should have taken my place. That would've been you, Acnologia is aware that he doesn't belong on the throne, and he will stop at nothing to get rid of you. With you gone, he can finally claim it for himself."

"Are you trying to tell me I'm some kind of Prince?"

"Yes, but I don't want that life for you. Alvarez means nothing to you, its people are not unhappy with the current rule. I want _you_ to be happy. Once I knew you were safe with Gray, I had planned on leaving."

"What?! You were going to leave? Why?"

"I've already told you more than I meant to. There are things about me that would be difficult for you to accept and would only bring you grief. I'm happy for the time we've had together, but maybe it's best if I move on."

"No, fuck you! You can't just tell me you're my dad and then disappear. Don't I get a say?"

They stared at each other, eyes locked in a contest of wills, neither one wanting to be the first one to look away. Zeref finally looked down, worn down by the anguish with which Natsu was gazing at him.

"You want me to stay? Even after hearing all this?"

"I've lost too much already, I don't want to lose you too, Dad."

"Natsu," Zeref was flustered, he hadn't expected Natsu's words or to be so affected by them. "There's lots more about me, things I only glossed over. Things I'm not proud of."

The sheer anxiety in Zeref's eyes scared Natsu. Maybe it was best if he backed off, for now. He could tell there were dark secrets hidden in those eyes. Demons that would have to be fought at some point, he just hoped that maybe Zeref would let him fight them with him.

"I don't care about that, I honestly don't think I can absorb anything more right now. When you're ready, you'll tell me, and we'll figure it out. Just, please don't go. I don't think I can handle that."

Zeref thought about Natsu's words, he desperately wanted to stay here. He wanted to watch his son grow, to be a part of his life. Natsu had found a family here. Gray and Lyon cared for him deeply and Ur, although somewhat terrifying, had taken care of his son for years and genuinely loved him.

To be part of a family was something he'd never thought he'd get a chance to have again. As he pondered these thoughts, Ur and Gray returned with two large pizzas and plenty of drinks. They'd even brought a large bag of bread crumbs.

Gray handed the bag over to Natsu shyly, "I thought it might be nice to feed the ducks, Igneel would have like that, right?"

Natsu beamed, "He would have loved that."

He got up and grabbed Gray by the hand, dragging him closer to the water.

"You knew about Zeref, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Gray admitted, not sure how Natsu would react, "He told us last night. Lyon thought there was something fishy, so he confronted him. He showed us the picture and told us who he was, and then he told us about Igneel. I didn't think it was my place to tell you, but if he'd left, I would have."

Natsu chuckled, "You two have always had my back, huh?"

Natsu moved closer to Gray until their bodies were almost pressed together, and he could look into the other's eyes, "How did I never see it? When did it turn to like?"

"Freshman year, when you started hanging out with Lucy all the time," Gray smiled at the memory, "At first I thought I was just jealous because she took up so much of your time, but I could tell it didn't bother Lyon nearly as much."

"God, we wasted so much time," Natsu groaned before moving his hand to Gray's cheek, his thumb moving in gentle circles, "I thought about you so much."

Natsu tilted his head up and to the side as he leaned in and pressed his lips against Gray's, closing his eyes and letting himself enjoy the warm pressure of Gray's response before nibbling on Gray's bottom lip and tentatively darting his tongue in the space between his lips. He could feel Gray smiling as he opened his mouth slightly, enough for Natsu's tongue to enter and begin exploring.

Strong arms encircled Natsu's waist, and now Gray was moving his tongue into his mouth too, making Natsu feel tingly all over. They continued kissing until with a last soft kiss they pulled away.

Natsu licked his lips slowly, savoring the taste of Gray on them. He broke into a grin and declared, "That's what I had wanted to do at the party."

"Hmm, I don't think I would have been able to let you go after a kiss like that," Gray admitted with a lazy smile, "I hate how you did it, but you were probably right. If I'd gone with you, I would never have let you get close enough to Zeref for you to find out who he was. Just please, no more secrets."

"No more secrets," Natsu agreed, "The only ones I'm interested in belong to Zeref anyway."

"Be patient, he's had it rough too," Gray advised, which was as close as he would come to revealing any of the things Zeref had confided in them.

"You know, it was so weird to see this picture of my mom," Natsu commented as he looked at it again before trying to put the locket around his neck and failing to close the clasp.

"Here, let me," Gray turned Natsu around and worked the clasp closed, tugging it gently to make sure it had locked, "She was a beautiful woman. You look a lot like her."

"I've seen her in my dreams, some of them not so pleasant," Natsu's eyes were clouded, it scared him to think of those nightmares, even though he couldn't remember much about them. He always woke up in a cold sweat, his heart racing impossibly fast.

"Maybe you should ask your dad about her, he seemed to love her a lot."

"Yeah, maybe," Natsu replied, biting his lip as he thought about whether that was something he wanted. He knew there was something terrible connected to his mom and her death. Could feel it in his bones. He wasn't ready to hear any more tragedies.

"You know, none of this was what I had in mind for when I returned," Natsu muttered, putting his arms around Gray's neck and holding him close.

"It's fine, you _are _back, and that's all I care about," Gray grinned, "I meant it, I'm not letting you out of my sight. Look at all the trouble you get into."

Natsu scoffed, "Like you're much better."

"You know, Lyon is moving out as soon as he returns, you and Zeref could move in," Gray pointed out already looking forward to long nights spent together.

"Damn, I must be a pretty good kisser if you're asking me to move in already," Natsu teased as he thought about Gray's offer.

"As if, I just don't want to waste any more time. I love you, and I know pretty much all there is to know about you. Why wait?"

"I'm not sure if Zeref would feel comfortable shacking up with me and my boyfriend," Natsu hesitated, he felt that if he left Zeref on his own, he might just disappear, despite his assurances to the contrary.

"If you want me to stay, then I would actually be just fine with it. Or I could always get a different place in the same building." Zeref piped up behind them, smirking when they both jumped. "Ur sent me to get you, she's starving."

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Zeref prodded, daring to hope things could work out for a while.

"It might take me a while to call you Dad, but yeah, I think we both need this."

"Okay, then I'll stay for as long as you want me," Zeref looked so hopeful that Natsu couldn't help but wrap him in a hug, to reassure him.

"I do want you," Natsu felt sad once more, all of this made Igneel's death feel more real, but he hid it behind a smirk, "Now, let's go eat, I'm starving too, and I haven't had pizza in like two years. Your aristocratic ass is gonna love it."

Zeref snorted and followed Natsu back to where Ur had laid out a blanket. They ate and laughed, Natsu and Gray sitting close together, their hands never far from each other, while Ur caught Zeref up on some of the things Natsu, Lyon and Gray had gotten into as kids. They made a few toasts to Igneel's memory, and Gray could only hope that wherever he was, he was seeing this and was happy to know Zeref and Nasu were back together again.

When the conversation quieted down, Natsu nudged Zeref, pointing to the locket that now hung around his neck. "Can you tell me about her?"

Zeref practically beamed with excitement to be asked, "Her name was Sona, and she was the most beautiful woman to ever walk the streets of Alvarez. I met her in the summer of my twentieth year, and I knew then, there would never be anyone else for me. Her smile could light up any room she walked into..."

Gray glanced over at Natsu, who was holding on to every word, and he thought he knew precisely what Zeref meant.

A/N: This is the end of this particular story, a friend pointed out that she would like very much for each to find out about the other's time in those two years apart and I might get around to writing it at some point as an epilogue or something but there are a few things I still need to work on for the bingo first.

This story kind of evolved as I wrote it, and it has been one of the fastest I've written since I wrote my first one, Good Intentions. I think it's fitting, since it will probably be the last new story you'll see from me for a while. I am going to spend some time trying to finish up all of my incomplete stories.

Having said that I am interested in writing a multi-chapter about this Zeref, going into what happened to him in real-time. If you would have any interest in reading a story like this let me know in the comments. It wouldn't be exactly the same as I feel the curse is wasted here, so Natsu would probably be sent forward in time like canon, and it would still be a Gray x Natsu story.

Thanks for reading and letting me know in any way that you liked it, I really appreciated it and it goes a long way towards motivating me to write. Til the next one!


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